An Intimate Elopement Wedding in Taormina, Sicily with Ann and Tony
Ann and Tony contacted me shortly before their elopement wedding in Taormina. I was available, and from the very first emails, I already had a good feeling about the day. There was something in Ann’s words that came through clearly: warmth, kindness, and a genuinely positive energy. Even before meeting them, I was looking forward to photographing their wedding.
We met in the afternoon, under a Sicilian sky that couldn’t quite decide what it wanted to be. Cloudy, then sunny, then cloudy again. Taormina is like that sometimes. The light shifts constantly, and you learn to embrace it rather than fight it. For an elopement wedding, it felt perfect. Nothing too polished, nothing too predictable. Just real life unfolding.
Their ceremony was intimate and emotional. With the celebrant, they exchanged vows filled with beautiful words, honest promises, and a few quiet tears. There was no audience, no pressure, no performance. Just two people standing together in a foreign country that already felt like home for a few hours. As a wedding photographer in Taormina, Sicily, these are the moments I care about most: when time slows down and people forget the camera is there.
After the ceremony, we started walking through Taormina. Slowly. Without a plan. That’s often how the best photos happen. Ann and Tony didn’t rush, didn’t ask for poses, didn’t worry about what came next. They laughed, talked, held hands, stopped when something caught their eye. The town became part of the story: stone walls, small streets, shop windows, balconies, and that soft Mediterranean light that makes even cloudy afternoons feel alive.
Their elopement wedding in Taormina was pure joy. They were kind, affectionate, and completely present. They didn’t mind the weather changing its mood every ten minutes. Cloudy skies gave us soft light, the sun came out just long enough to create contrast, and then disappeared again. It was one of those Sicilian afternoons where laughter, sea breeze, and old stones come together like poetry.
Throughout the day, I photographed them both digitally and on film. Using both allows me to tell a fuller story. Digital photography gives flexibility and precision, while analogue photography adds something slower, more tactile. Film reacts differently to light. It holds onto shadows, softens highlights, and introduces a grain that feels alive. Especially during elopements, film photography helps preserve the emotional atmosphere of the day.
At one point, I took a long exposure photograph with my film camera. That image sits somewhere between photography and painting. Long exposures on analogue cameras are unpredictable in the best way. You can’t see the result immediately. You trust the process. For me, there is a special pleasure in that. It’s not just about capturing what I see, but what I feel. As a Taormina wedding photographer, this is one of the reasons I continue to photograph weddings on 35mm film. It turns fleeting moments into something timeless.
As the afternoon slowly moved toward evening, we kept walking. More laughter, more quiet moments, more unscripted interactions. Toward the end of the shoot, we decided to play a bit. Black and white photos, movement, long exposures, letting the town blur slightly while they stayed connected to each other. Those images feel like memories rather than documentation. They’re imperfect, emotional, and honest.
Ann and Tony are a beautiful, tall, and incredibly friendly couple. Photographing their elopement wedding in Taormina was a reminder of why I love what I do. No big production, no expectations, no checklist. Just trust, connection, and curiosity. I will remember them for a long time.
If you are planning an elopement wedding in Taormina, Sicily, and you are looking for a wedding photographer who works with both digital and analogue photography, who values real moments over poses, and who lets the day unfold naturally, this is exactly the kind of story I love to tell.
